Atlanta humorist Lewis Grizzard once described a visit up North in which he attended an Ohio State-Michigan football game. He left unimpressed, later writing that the game had a lot of action but that it was "like watching two mules fight over a turnip. I mean, who really cares?"

I never expected to use that quote to describe an Alabama governor's race. True, college football is always the top spectator sport in Alabama, but politics usually ranks second -- particularly during a governor's campaign.

Alabama is loaded with political junkies. Our turnout rates top the national average, our coffee shops abound with political discussions, and supporters of both parties rave about their candidates.

Or at least they used to. For the first time in my memory, Alabama's voters simply don't seem interested in the governor's race.

Oh, I'm sure they'll vote. But not with much enthusiasm. Neither candidate has gotten his voters excited.

Perhaps it's because neither has the charisma of some past nominees. Ron Sparks seems like a nice man, but he doesn't inspire Democrats like former Gov. Don Siegelman did. Or maybesome Democrats don't recognize him since he shaved off the mustache he wore for seven years as agriculture commissioner.

Republican nominee Dr. Robert Bentley (I'm using the "Dr." title, since that's so important to him) won the nomination without saying a negative thing about anybody, including himself. But having surrogates do the attack chores can leave a candidate with a bland image. Maybe that's why Bentley's public image is more similar to a professor than a politician.

The result? Neither candidate got his party's voters excited.

Granted, both tried. Sparks jumped on the electronic bingo-and-lottery bandwagon early, taking a lot of contributions from those folks. But the lottery was a 20th-century issue that didn't get voter approval back then, and bingo became radioactive after 11 indictments in Montgomery.

As for Bentley, he also seems like a nice man, but he seems more interested in running for federal office than for governor. His promise of "state sovereignty" is reminiscent of George Wallace's 1960s "states' right" rhetoric.

A couple of his other main issues -- immigration and health care reform -- are hot topics in polls, but more relevant to Washington than to Montgomery. He's tried to localize both, but voters are left with the feeling he's more concerned with poll numbers than with issues.

Give both candidates credit for trying to address Alabama's high unemployment rate, but neither's approach inspires confidence. Sparks relies on gambling and a highway construction program that's already developed. Bentley pushes tax credits, which even he says will have little quick impact.

Maybe the problem is both candidates were the "least objectionable" within their party. Neither had his party's most ardent supporters, but it was hard to find primary voters who disliked either.

Think of what could have happened. Sparks defeated U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, who could have been Alabama's first black nominee for governor. That would have been exciting for Democrats.

Bentley knocked off both Tim James and Bradley Byrne to take the Republican mantle. James would have been the darling of the tea-party movement, and Byrne would have inspired the Republican anti-AEA voters.

Think of the possibilities. A governor's race with Davis facing James. That would have been exciting.

Or Davis versus Byrne. The two moderates of each party running headlong toward the middle. Alabama has never seen that before.

But Sparks versus Bentley? It just doesn't have the pizazz of Don Siegelman versus Fob James. Or Bill Baxley versus Guy Hunt. Or George Wallace versus anybody.

Instead, we've got Sparks versus Bentley, with the voters treating them as if they're a couple of mules fighting over a turnip.

Lots of action, but few people paying attention.

And, unfortunately, that turnip they're fighting over is the state of Alabama.

Larry Powell, Ph.D., is a professor of political communications in the UAB Department of Communication Studies. E-mail: lpowell@uab.edu